They woke up very early in the morning to head home. Mudho felt invigorated. It felt like hitting someone to test out its strength. Its human partner was downhearted. Even along the way he did not utter a word.He really wanted to help Apeleka out of that land but didn"t know where she was. He didn"t know how she came to know him but deep in his heart he held her dear. He was sometimes angry that she was left to die in the forbidden land, he was also sometimes filled with commiseration that she had to tolerate the abrasive life here.
Mudho knew he wasn"t in the mood to talk but couldn"t help but be worried about him. It occasionally wanted to offer him a ride on its back but he turned down its kind gesture. In the end, it walked silently by his side. They took around ten minutes to cover the five kilometers.
When they got home, Sibuor Ratong" was the first one to receive them. It expected to meet a happy brother and friend but was discomfited when it saw the expressions on their faces. Ochieng" looked sad while it couldn"t comprehend Mudho"s look.
"What is the problem?" It asked.
Mudho turned to Ochieng" waiting for him to answer. He could not talk. It signaled the beast to talk on his lieu. Mudho smiled and wondered what to say. It was one thing to not know what was worrying that Ochieng" but to ask it to tell its brother why they were in that state, wasn"t that asking too much of it.
"I don"t know." That is what Mudho said after ruminating for a while.
Seeing that they were not willing to talk, Ratong" decided not to get to with them. It helped them to the lions tribe head"s residence where they were warmly received. After he greeted the tribe higher ups, he left for his cave without further ado.
Mudho who was left with those of its kind, decided to recount their experience in the forbidden land. It however left out the place where they got the hono fruit, that could make those beast rip it alive even though they knew it was strong. It managing to devour that aura he didn"t leave out and that pleasantly surprised its tribesmen.
They knew how greathearted and upright this Mudho was. It couldn"t seek for the stool of the tribe head nor think of conquering the forbidden land. It could only protect its tribe with its newfound strength. This was very true as Mudho never thought of being the leader of its tribe neither did it want to have those in the forbidden land under its control, its interest was only in protecting its fellow lions. This was especially after Ochieng" left its side.
"What can I do to find her? Does she even understand my language?" Ochieng" started wondering at the corner of his cave.
At the same time, he remembered home and how nice it was to be there. In as much as he had Mudho here, even if it loved him, it couldn"t do what his parents could do. The warmth he felt when he was by their side was never there when he was with Mudho. He only liked it maybe because they were together in everything but he didn"t truly love it.
The lions treated him very well and with a lot of respect, he however had never found absolute happiness in there because after all, he was human and they were beasts. He had met with humans several times in his dreams, but those were ancestors that ceased to exist. When he met a young beautiful lady in that illusory world, he couldn"t help his emotions surging. He knew the lady existed and that is why she communicated with him in some ways only she understood.
He was still in oneirism when he felt lightheaded. He became too tired to sit. He lay on the skin at the center of the cave. It is then that he started listening to a song. The voice was soft and a.s.suasive.
"They tied me on a tree far from home.
I wheedled them to have mercy
All I got was the bites of his whip;
Mama cried when she saw me
Not a soul came for our rescue.
When I was left to die, I found a friend.
She comforted me at dusk
When the sun set without a sliver of hope;
When hungry she gave me food
When I needed a friend she found you
I was left at the entrance of the forbidden land
At the entrance from my tribe"s side.
When you were found I moved.
I now stay close to another entrance
It is at your tribe"s side...
Naaa! Naaa! Naaa!
I meet dangers everyday
But somehow I escape
Today and yesterday I survived
I don"t know what is there for tomorrow
Come, come quickly and get me out.
Naaa! Naaa! Naaa!
When the song ended, he got some relief. He decided to rest till the next day. He would go to the entrance from the Lu tribe side to get Apeleka. It was the gray white winged bird that sang a moment ago outside his cave. After it finished it flew away.
Mudho came to check on him but found him in a very deep sleep. It decided to cover him and sat at the entrance of his cave. Ratong" its brother decided to join it and give it company. They sat there until crepuscule, storing and laughing like maniacs.
At dusk, each of them went and rested in their respective caves. After they left, their tribe head decided to visit Ochieng" to thank him for what he had done for their tribe. When it found him asleep, it never disturbed him, it only sat by his side every now and then strolling outside to check for interlopers until the next day when the young man woke up.
From time to time it could see a bird, come on top of Ochieng"s cave fly away. This tribe head did not clearly see what bird it was because it was dark. The bird"s coming at intervals made the tribe head have a premonition that the bird was up to no good though it did not think much about it.